taking the swimmer out of the girl

It is strange thing no longer being apart of something you were apart of for so long.

As my beloved sister and former teammates had their first swim meet of the season, I was reminded that my life is so quickly passing me. I feel like a completely different person than I was last November. Since I stopped swimming I have been able to find new passions and new interests and talents and skills that I had no idea I possessed while I spent so much of my time in the pool. Still, looking back at what my life used to be causes me to miss it. I miss the thrill of the race, the burn in my lungs (never thought I would say that), the loud excitement on the homestretch, my coaches, my teammates. So much of my life was spent in those waters, so many dreams and hard work poured into those practices. As hard as it was then and as much physical and emotional pain it caused (swimming is a heartbreaking sport), I thank every coach, teammate and competitor who pushed me to make the most of my training. How amazingly blessed I was to get the opportunity to train with such motivation. Not many people get that opportunity.

I mentioned earlier that I feel like a different person than who I was when I swam but I have realized how much a swimmer I still am. Which is something only us swimmers (or “swammers” as one of my friends called me) understand.

Whatever your passion is right now, let it shape you. Let it help mold you into who you are supposed to be. Allow it to consume you because that is what true passion does. Let yourself become so obsessed, so madly crazed, so emotionally vulnerable to that passion that it becomes what sustains you. Do not let others tell you what you should spend your time on, follow your heart and your gut. The best feeling in the world is looking back and being able to smile at what used to be because you know it was worth it.

Life is about experiences and how they affect you. Of course experiences do not last forever, but how they change your perspective can last a very long time. Until something new comes along and gives you a new perspective. Like college.

Here’s to my Dragons. Use all of your desire and let it fuel you this season. Do not let go when things get tough or when test sets get the best of you. Persevere. See you at state you beautiful girls.